18346 - Special Vegetal Pathology

Learning outcomes

Students will acquire knowledge on specific plant pathology, namely they will understand the biology, epidemiology and symptomatology of major crops diseases in Italy, caused by viruses, bacteria, mollicutes or fungi. They will also know the principle of plant protection against pathogens.

Course contents

A) Prerequisites

Students attending this course will have good knowledge of agricultural chemistry, biology physiology, genetics and microbiology. Such skills are provided by the courses of the first year. Moreover students are required to know the bases of the general plant pathology which are provided by the course of general plant pathology integrated with this same course.

B) Teaching Units

Module 1 –Specific plant pathology (3 CFU):

1. Grape (total teaching unit 4 hours)

1. Fungal diseases

Oomycetes: Plasmopara viticola (peronospora).

Ascomycetes: Botyris cinerea; Erysiphe necator (an. Oidium tuckeri);

Basidiomicetes: Armillaria mellea (sin. Armillariella mellea); Phaemoniella chlamidospora, Phaeoacremonium aleophilum -Fomitiporia punctata .

1.3. Phytoplasma diseases

Flavescence dorée

1.4. Virus diseases

Leafroll, corky bark.

2. Pome fruit trees (total teaching unit 4 hours)

1. Fungal diseases

Ascomycetes: Venturia inaequalis (an. Spilocaea pomi, sin. Fusicladium dendriticum); Venturia pyrina (an. Fusicladium pirinum); Neonectria galligena (an. Cylindrocarpon mali ); Neofabraea alba (sin. Gloeosporium album); Stemphylium vesicarium.

2.2. Bacterial diseases

Erwinia amylovora

2.3. Phytoplasma diseases

Proliferation diseases

Insights on postharvest alterations of fruits.

3. Stone fruits (total teaching unit 4 hours)

3.1 Fungal diseases

Ascomycetes: Taphrina deformans; Podosphaera pannosa (sin.Sphaerotheca pannosa var. persicae – an. Oidium leuconium); Monilinia fructigena (an.Monilia fructigena), Monilinia laxa (an. Monilia laxa), Monilinia fructicola (an. Monilia fructicola)

3.2 Bacterial diseases

Xanthomonas arboricola pvpruni;

3.3 Virus diseases

Sharka

4. Sugarbeet, potato e tomato (total teaching unit 3 hours)

4.1. Sugarbeet

4.1.1 Fungal diseases

Ascomycetes: Cercospora beticola

4.2 Potato and tomato

4.2.1 Fungal diseases

Oomycetes: Phytophthora infestans

Ascomycetes: Fusarium spp; Alternaria alternata e Alternaria solani

5. Cereals (total teaching unit 3 hours)

5.1 Fungal diseases

Ascomycetes: Septoria tritici; Fusarium spp.; Fusarium spp.

Basidiomycetes: Insights on rusts

Knowledge acquired in the teaching unit from 1 to 5:

• Student knows the diseases of grape, pome fruit tree, stone fruits trees, strawberry, kiwi, forest plants, horticultural crops and cereals.

6. Teaching support activity to Module 1 (total teaching unit 9 hours)

Seminars, film projection, symptoms sample analysis

Laboratory activity

These are finalized to fungal pathogen recognition at optical microscopy. Students are invited to write a report on these.

Field activity

Diseases examination and symptom observation directly on field.

Knowledge support activity

Teacher will offer support to students if specific questions or need will be raised.

Module 2 – Principles of plant disease management (2 CFU):

1. Introduction about the need of plant protection to reduce losses from pathogens and general characteristics of crop protection (1 hour)

Importance of crop protection against diseases for sustainable agriculture. Skill and knowledge bases for managing plant disease control. Strategies to reduce disease severity through the management of the pathogen, the environment and the host. International and national organisations for plant disease control, phytosanitary surveillance, quarantine organisms, plant passport and compulsory disease control. Principles of compulsory and voluntary integrated disease control.

2. Agronomic control methods (2 hours)

Methods to reduce the diseases: crop environment, crop, cultivar, crop rotation, tillage, drainage, irrigation, fertilization, plant spacing, pruning and thinning, mulching or other practices that allow plants to escape infection. Impact of disease control in greenhouses and prevention of soil-borne pathogens diffusion.

3. Definition and regulation of phytosanitary products (1 hour)

Phytosanitary product definition. European homologation of phytosanitary rules: Dir. CE 91/414, Regulation CE n. 1107/2009, Directive CE n. 128/2009, Regulation CE n. 396/2005. Role of EFSA on phytosanitary product use. D. Lgs n. 150/2012 repealing Dir. CE n. 128/2009, national plan of integrated pest management (PAN) and professions of seller, buyer and consultant of phytosanitary products.

4. Natural and synthetic fungicide (9 hours)

Different classifications of fungicides. Contact, systemic, protective, curative and eradicant fungicides. General mode of action against pathogens, mechanism of action and spectrum of activity of main groups as below specified. Maximum level of residue, latest time of application, time to re-entry in the field. (1 hour)

Relevant information of a fungicidal product label: nomenclature, biological action (spectrum of activity), formulation, composition, hazard symbols, risk and safety phrases, safety precautions, legal permission and registration, crops, pathogens, application rate, interval and timing, resistant management, latest time of application, time to re-entry in the field, disposal, possible restrictions. (1 hour)

Types of fungicides: general features and overview of main groups of natural (inorganic such as copper and sulphur, plant and algal extracts and polysaccharides from crustaceous, microorganisms) and of synthetic origin. Characteristics of protective and penetrating fungicides. Main fungicidal synthetic groups with a fous on their spectrum of activity and mechanism of action: dithiocarbamates, guanidines, hiophthalimides, SBI, QI, SDHI, CAA, phenylamides, phosphonates, carbamates. (5 hours)

Resistant of pathogens to fungicides and resistant management strategies. (0.5 hours)

Fungal and bacterial microorganisms with antagonistic action against pathogens, main uses and methods of application. Antagonists that are approved in Europe and are marketed in Italy. Mode and mechanism of actions of antagonists against pathogens (competition, parasitisation and antibiosis) and on plant. Compatibility of antagonists with chemical fungicides. (1 hour)

Fungicidal formulates in brief (0.5 hours)

5. Impact of phytosanitary products on human (consumer and worker) and environment (1 hour)

Residues on plant foods. Acute and chronic toxicity to person who applies pesticides. Toxicological classification: CLP regulation (CE 1272/2008), hazard symbols, hazard and safety phrases. Safety data sheet.

6. Fisical methods and biofumigation (2 hours)

Soil steam sterilization. Soil solarisation. Burning of plant as phytosanitary measure. Heat treatment to obtain virus-free plants. Soil biofumigation.

7. Overview of disease management (2 hours)

Integrated plant disease management in the control of fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, phytoplasma and viruses. Example of vineyard disease control against downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey mould.

8. Teaching support activity to Module 2 (3 hours)

Seminars, film projection, examples of labels and safety data sheet of chemical and microbiological fungicides, simulation of a fungicide application in integrated plant disease management.

Readings/Bibliography

All the material used during the lessons will be distributed online.

Books:

Belli, ‘Patologia Vegetale’, 2012, PICCIN editore, Padova.

Agrios, ‘Plant Pathology’, 2004, ELSEVIER Academic Press editore

Lorenzini G. e Nali C. ‘Principi di Fitoiatria’, 2012, Edagricole Bologna

Teaching methods

1. Class lectures: through the class lectures the student will acquire the knowledge necessary to understand the general characters of plant pathogens and the resistance forms of plants. This knowledge will be monitored during the course through a continuous interaction between teacher and student. This will possibly involve also the discussion of some interesting papers on the main topics covered during the lessons. This will allow to stimulate the critical sense communication skills of the student.
2. Practical activity: the student will be directly involved in general practices commonly used in a laboratory of plant pathology in order to practically apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during lessons.
3. Guided tours: student will be accompanied in guided tours to the agricultural field of DipSA, in Cadriano and in local farms in order to examine plant diseases symptoms.

Assessment methods

The exam of general plant pathology will be carried out together with the exam of specific plant pathology. This will be done through written or oral exams on the topics covered during the course. In particular, two written exams (June and September) and five oral ones (one in June, two in July, one in December and one in January/February). The written exam consist of 30 closed questions of general and of 30 closed question of specific plant pathology, plus 4 open questions. In the oral examination the student will be evaluated on at least six questions on the covered topic of the two general and specific plant pathology courses. The academic board will evaluate the scores of each learning subject, making a weighed mean of them (5 CFU general plant pathology, 1 CFU practical activity, 3 CFU specific plant pathology and 3 CFU defense) to express the final score.

Teaching tools

Overhead projector, personal computer and projector will be used for class lectures.

Laboratory exercises will take place in the teaching laboratories of BIO1 (first floor, via Fanin 44/46).

Office hours

See the website of Elena Baraldi

See the website of Roberta Roberti